The Supreme Court has upheld the re-election of the All Progressive (APC) candidate, Simon Lalong, as the governor of Plateau State.
In a unanimous judgement read by Justice Paul Galinje, a seven-member panel of the court held that the applicant failed to prove that the election was not in substantial compliance with the Electoral Act. “The appeal failed and is hereby dismissed,” the court held.
The People’s Democratic Party(PDP) candidate, Jeremiah Useni, had challenged the outcome of the governorship elections held in Plateau State on March 9, 2019.
Useni, in his appeal marked SC/1501/19, questioned the election of Mr Lalong on the ground that he was not the valid winner of the governorship election.
The senotor said that both the election tribunal and the Court of Appeal failed to properly evaluate his case before affirming that Mr Lalong was duly elected in substantial compliance with the Electoral Act.
Useni,therefore, asked the apex court to allow his appeal and set aside the judgements of the two lower courts. The request was rejected.